Storch: the Tall Protektor Controllers of Signalis

Storch is the nickname of the STCR model, the Replika that commands each cadre of Protektor security guards in the Eusan Nation. At 240 cm, with long legs, they watch over their squads from above. At S-23 Sierpinski most have become the game's toughest regular enemies, but one, the controller Sieben, is still holding her post. The name is German for stork. (Signalis)

What are Storch units?#

The STCR overview says each cadre of Protektor security technicians is overseen by a controller, "the most common of which is the STCR 'Stork' Type". Their extended legs make them one of the tallest models, so they "figuratively and literally keep a constant birds-eye view of any situation". Their "tough, no-nonsense demeanor", the overview adds, is "sometimes described as brutal and even cruel", which it presents as exactly what a sentinel of order needs. (Signalis, "Replika Overview: STCR")

The Known Issues file is blunter. Storches start out short-tempered, their patterns are less stable than other models, and without early training in patience they can become "extremely volatile" and "prone to cruelty and violence". A common fix is pairing them with an older STAR unit. Their personality is stabilised by showering or bathing, and books on history or mythology make good fetish objects. (Signalis, "Replika Known Issues, Part 2")

Storch at S-23 Sierpinski#

One note found in a Storch dorm shows the temper in action. The writer is "officially sick of the Eules next door" playing the same song since the piano room was locked down, and wants to borrow a key to get into their dorm and smash the tape recorder, quarantine or not. (Signalis, "Angry Note")

By the time Elster arrives, most Storches have degraded. Corrupted Storches have lost their arms and their heads have become long beak-like growths, which gives them reach. They are the strongest regular enemy in the game, often patrol with other units, and screech when they spot Elster or fall. (Signalis)

Sieben, the last Storch controller#

Storch Sieben, unit STCR-S2307, wrote a note reshuffling guard shifts during the outbreak, listing which STAR and STCR units would cover both day and night. "Until an effective treatment is found, or reinforcements are sent from Heimat, we'll all have to stay strong and do our best to keep the facility secure. Failure is not an option." A postscript asks staff to keep an eye on the administrator, Adler, who has been acting stranger than usual: "Without the Commander to keep him in check, we will have to ask Kolibri for help." (Signalis, "About the Administrator")

Elster finds Sieben still uncorrupted. "You're an Elster unit, right? This facility is currently on lockdown. You shouldn't be here." If Elster is looking for the commander, Falke, Sieben has bad news: "She got sick, and everyone else is getting sick, too." She suggests the administrator knows more, "but who knows where he is", and says she won't go out there; she is waiting for new orders. (Signalis)

What Sieben tells us#

Sieben is the clearest picture the game gives of how the chain of command at S-23 failed. Her note shows the Protektors still trying to keep order, with reinforcements expected from Heimat and the Kolibri cadre as a backstop. By the time Elster meets her, the commander is bedridden, the administrator is missing and the Kolibris have degraded, and Sieben is one of the few units still standing. The game doesn't show what happens to her afterwards. (Signalis)